All kinds of stuff

It has been awhile since I have posted, but that is because there is a lot going on. Adobe Creative Suite 4 has been released, and my copy arrived 2 weeks ago. My venerable Nikon D2X went into dead battery syndrome mode, so I had to make some modifications to my camera system. We have ramped up our marketing efforts at Art for Lease, and I have been experimenting with new (for me) printing styles in support of that activity. And I have added the Windows Home Server as a new storage option here at my office. So I'll drill down on the first two in this post, and touch on the latter two later this week.

Adobe Creative Suite CS4  I debated this upgrade - a lot. CS3 was a substantial upgrade for Photoshop users over CS2, and since Photoshop is the 800 lb. gorilla in this suite it was a no-brainer. I opted for the Design Premium Suite, and along with the Photoshop upgrade, I also got new versions of Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Bridge, and Acrobat. I have used all but the InDesign app and while pricey ($599) it has proven to be a workhorse.

When CS4 was announced I looked over the list of additonal features for Photoshop, and well, was not really overwhelmed. I don't do any work in 3D, so those new features did little for me. The new Adjustments Layer pallette, well - perhaps a better way of organizing adjustment layers, but again, worth the upgrade?

But what really sold me was a change in upgrade policy that Adobe implemented. I could upgrade from CS3 Design Professional to CS4 Production Premium for the same $599 cost. Along with the update to Photoshop I get new versions of Flash and Illustrator, along with PremierePro, After Effects, Encore, and Soundbooth. This made a lot of sense - I can continue to use Dreamweaver and InDesign from CS3, and now have the added functionality of the video apps. Thus far I have been most impressed with new features that have been added to Bridge, and this weekend I am getting into Premiere Pro. Photoshop? It feels like it has been refined more than anything else. I notice little touches, some I like and some I don't, as I use various tools. As I work on projects I will blog on more detailed features, but overall I am very happy with the upgrade.

Camera upgrades I have loved my D2X - the bulk of the photos in my portfolio have been shot with it. When the D3 came out I was impressed with the capabilies of the new FX sensor, but I resisted making an upgrade. The D2X has been my first pro-body camera. While I love the image quality it has not been easy to schlep around on trips. It's a heavy, bulky sucker. One of the things I have enjoyed is the fact that the DX format sensor has a 1.5x angle of view crop compared to 35 mm film format. In practical terms what this means is that you increase the focal length of any lens mounted on the camera by a factor of 1.5. A 200mm lens thus has an effective focal length of 300mm. This has proven to be a boon when shooting wildlife. For the image of the eagle pictured here, I used a 2X teleconverter slapped on the end of a 70-200mm zoom, which would be the equivalent of shooting at 600 mm on a 35mm camera (when people still ask me why I converted from film to digital this is  people's exhibit #1).

 

With the FX sensor in the D3 and D700 this advantage goes away. The FX sensor is a full-frame sensor, meaning that the angle of view for the sensor is more directly in line with what a 35mm film camera would capture. The FX sensor also offers other more compelling features. It is a high ISO champ and photographers have been able to shoot in very low light situations and capture images that are extremely sharp. I have blogged previously how this offers an advantage to the landscape photographer (see Against the Wind).  I also recently purchased Nikon's 24 mm tilt/shift lens, and the two Nikon Cameras with the FX sensor are ideally suited for this lens.

When the D2X caught dead battery syndrome (the battery indicator flashes repeatedly that an even freshly-charged battery is dead and the camera will not function) my only alternative was to ship the camera back to Nikon. This can be good and it can be bad. If Nikon does not have the parts for the camera repair, it can take months for them to return the camera. As I have several upcoming shoots, I needed a new body, and sooner than I had anticipated.

I seriously looked at the D3, but ultimately decided that it was not suited for my needs. I couldn't get over the loss of the angle of view issue. While I could use it in combo with my D2X once it returned from limbo, that is a lot of gear to lug around on trips. So instead I looked at the D300. These cameras use the same sensor as the D2X and have a number of new features, such as a much larger and higher resolution LCD screen and live-view (which allows for viewing the scene with the mirror up through the LCD; until last year this was not possible in digital SLR's). The D300 only weighs 2.2 pounds, which makes it ideal for travel.  Finally, D300s have been sharply discounted on the web.

I picked one up through B&H for $1599. I have been very impressed with how much fun this camera is to shoot with. The larger, brighter LCD is worth the upgrade cost alone. Now that I have used it on several shoots it is hard to see how I could do without it. The camera is light but feels solid and professional. There is no mistaking that this is a high-end camera.

But...there is the issue of the new lens that I purchased. While the 1.5 multiplier effect works great for telephoto shots, it is much more problematic for wide angle shots. The tilt/shift lens is a 24mm lens, so on a D300 the lens is effectively a 35mm lens, which takes away from being able to use it for landscape photos. It may be ok in certain architectural photos, but again that is subject -dependent.

All of this has lead me to decide that it's ok to go for a D700 as well. The D700 uses the same sensor as the D3 and it also uses the same body, with some modification, as the D300. Both cameras dispense with the internal motor drive of the D3/D2X, but this can be taken care of by ordering an optional external motor drive. Because the D300 and the D700 share the same body, the same motor drive works on both. And the D700 sells for $2000 less than the D3. If I was a photo journalist and needed the rugged durability of the D3 and was shooting hundred of pictures every day, I would get one without pause. But for now the D300/D700 combo makes the most sense. I get all of the advantages of the D3 along with the added functionality of the DX sensor, in a much lighter and more flexible package at about the same price as a D3.

There is one caveat to all of this: all sorts of rumors abound on the web that Nikon plans a major product announcemnt this Thursday, November 20th. I am waiting to order the D700 for this announcement. Speculation is that they will announce a 24mp camera (the current FX and DX sensors come in at roughly 12mp). While I am 95% sure I will order the D700 this week, past experience has taught me to wait for things like this. If it's a game changer, I want to see how the game changes.